Christmas is no longer the exotic Western import it once was,
and so one group of revelers is preparing to restore the lost
luster of the season by reaching back to their childhoods.
In a nod to this post-Christmas zeitgeist, a local website has
called on the city's young professionals to spend Christmas Eve
getting in touch with those memories by playing the games of their
childhoods.
"We've always celebrated Christmas in a Western style. We go to
bars or clubs with friends to celebrate the season. Christmas does
not seem so special anymore," said Zhao Ye, the chief executive of
www.metroer.com and the man behind the games.
"Christmas is an exotic festival for the Chinese, so we want to
make it more local so it becomes a festival for us," he added.
Zhao chose Fuxing Park, a historic French-style park that was
once famous for its children's palace, as the venue for his
Christmas Eve get-together.
The park is currently home to many entertainment venues like
karaoke clubs and bars, but to many locals, the park was once a
childhood paradise, replete with merry-go-rounds and bumper cars,
Zhao said.
Zhao's goal is to help people relive their childhoods that night
by playing children's games like shuttlecocks, rubber-band dancing,
hopscotch and roller skating.
"We encourage people to dress warmly for the party. Traditional
Chinese padded coats will be the best choice," he said. "We will
hold a competition for who wears the most."
A lot of Shanghai white-collar workers have shown interests in
the event, and some have already booked tickets. Zhao estimated
that nearly 300 people would attend. "To my surprise, some people
in their 40s and 30s want to join us," he said.
Sunny Yang, a woman from Hunan Province who works with a foreign trade
company in Shanghai, was one of the first netizens to sign up. "I
was so fascinated when I heard about the party, although I never
played at Fuxing Park when I was a child. It will be a great night
and definitely an exciting experience," she said.
Xu Qian said she liked the idea because "Christmas has become
too commercialized in the city. I am tired of the way people
celebrate. I want to try something different."
(China Daily December 22, 2006)